On March 13, 2023, Beijing time, Michelle Yeoh won the 95th Academy Award for Best Actress for the movie "Instantaneous Universe", and also became the first Asian actress in the history of Oscars.
At the ceremony, she held the trophy and told every woman that there is nothing you can't do. And thank you to all the mothers in the world, without whom no one would be where they are now.
At the 95th Academy Awards ceremony, Michelle Yeoh delivered an acceptance speech
However, no one expected that Michelle Yeoh would become the hottest movie star of the 2023 global awards season.
This name is not unfamiliar in the Chinese film industry, and people's impression of her has long been classified as "I grew up watching her movies" type of actor. She has had a glorious past, the number one kung fu actress in the 80s and 90s, and has also appeared in some Hollywood movies, playing shining roles like "Bond Girl". But, that's all. The cruel film and television industry has always been unfriendly to elderly actresses. Michelle Yeoh has yet to win a major award in the Chinese film industry, let alone a place in Hollywood's highly competitive environment.
Reality became interesting after Instantaneous Universe. With the role of the elderly and anxious Chinese mother "Evelyn" in the movie, Michelle Yeoh won the Golden Globe Award, the Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actress, and became the first Chinese actress in Oscar history to win Best Actress.
Maybe you're as curious as I am, why didn't we really care about Michelle Yeoh before?
As a generation of "beating women", Michelle Yeoh is no stranger to the audience, but with the decline of Hong Kong kung fu films and action movies, Michelle Yeoh rarely gets the role of female number one, but mostly becomes a "green leaf" on the edge of the movie. Especially since I went overseas to work hard, there are fewer and fewer memorable roles.
It wasn't until "Instantaneous Universe", those behind-the-scenes interviews, and conversations with Cate Blanchett, that she really went to the podium to thank and thank herself for never giving up this long journey of ups and downs, that people recalled that such a female star who always showed people with a resolute smile also went through so many dark and lonely journeys. If you can understand the difficulties and dangers encountered by a minority, elderly woman in the Hollywood environment, then it is not difficult to understand how strong the real failure of "Evelyn" in "Instantaneous Universe" every time she chooses to be proud of leads to a real failure, and how strong it can resonate with Michelle Yeoh herself in the spiritual world.
01.
Her parallel universe
Michelle Yeoh was once the lucky girl. Born into a wealthy family in Malaysia, he grew up in pampering. She had the opportunity to learn dance, equestrian, diving, squash and other cultural and sports skills, and she could go to England to study her beloved ballet at a young age, and dreamed of becoming a ballet dancer.
At the age of 15, she suffered a spinal injury that prevented her dance dream from continuing. With the encouragement of her mother, Michelle Yeoh went to the "Miss Malaysia" beauty pageant and easily won the championship. After that, she was naturally favored by advertisers, and then rushed to Hong Kong, one of the prosperous "Asian Four Tigers" in the 80s, and began her film road.
With the protection of businessman Pan Disheng, Michelle Yeoh received the "golden key" of fame and fortune and marriage at a young age - however, this seemingly "ideal and perfect" path became an invisible cage that bound her on Michelle Yeoh.
Even with the favor of fate, she always seems to have a stubbornness in her, always more things to do, and bigger dreams to chase.
In 1992, she and Jackie Chan teamed up to perform "Police Story 3", made a comeback with a fighting image, and loudly announced that she was divorced and would improve her acting skills and kung fu as in the past. At that time, people's stereotype of female stars who once married businesswomen and stopped working hard was broken in Michelle Yeoh.
"Police Story 3"
In fact, her efforts are beyond imagination and scary. If you revisit the kung fu films of the 90s now, Michelle Yeoh's wonderful contribution in "Police Story 3" is the price behind death.
Hanging and rocking with your bare hands on a speeding truck, riding a motorcycle to the top of a train, tumbling from one moving car to another, smashing the front windshield... These life-saving bridges without stand-ins made Jackie Chan terrifying. He said to Michelle Yeoh, if you make such a difficult move, it means that I will make a more difficult movement. Jackie Chan hung a helicopter and crashed into the building at the end of "Police Story 3", precisely because of the consideration that it cannot be inferior to the heroine's figure.
The documentary "Dragon and Tiger Martial Master" tells the bitterness of the "martial artists" behind Hong Kong action movies. This is a man's world, competing for strength, competing for courage. Michelle Yeoh broke in alone and became the only kung fu actress of that era, and what she pursued was a female dignity in that world.
Years later, at the ceremony of Jackie Chan winning the Oscar Lifetime Achievement Award, Michelle Yeoh delivered an award speech. She easily tells these desperate stories that are not to be outdone. People have long forgotten that she was almost paralyzed by falling off a high bridge while filming "Akin" in 1995. The end credits, "A tribute to Michelle Yeoh and Wu Xing, who have made significant contributions to Hong Kong cinema", have disappeared into the dust of vast film history.
02.
From "Xiulian" to "Xiulian"
In a wonderful coincidence, in Instantaneous Universe, the heroine "Evelyn" has a Chinese name "Xiulian" - only her father will call her that in Cantonese. And her father has always controlled the authority in the family. In an East Asian patriarchal family, from the moment Xiulian was born, the line "sorry, it's a girl" heralded the "rout" of a woman's life.
In Michelle Yeoh's more familiar to the audience in Ang Lee's directorial work "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", the role she played is also called "Xiulian". Yu Xiulian, a woman who silently hides behind the hero Li Mubai, is willing to give up the pursuit of martial arts and is willing to bear the shackles of the world, she spends every day carefully, never daring to really let go of the pace to pursue the freedom and happiness she wants.
Although one is an ancient martial arts film and the other is a modern science fiction film, our female audiences who watch the movie know very well: the dilemma faced by the two "Xiulian" is the same.
In "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", Yu Xiulian pinned her beautiful dream of life to indifference and tranquility on Li Mubai, and she was cautious and forbearant, in exchange for the sorrow of her empty life. And "Xiulian" in "Instantaneous Universe" incarnated as the American immigrant "Evelyn", she is also exhausted in the daily complicated tax bills and family chores, and the depression and escape are concentrated on her haggard face, as if she will be crushed by the straw of any moment of life at any time.
"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"
The two "Xiulian" are the same metaphor. However, the actor who plays them is such a woman who is not willing to be succumbed to her fate.
Michelle Yeoh has never lacked courage and energy to make choices in her life. And as viewers who only receive glamorous information in front of the screen, we are also easily confused by her tough image - thinking that she has always had the right to choose. This may also be the reason why Michelle Yeoh is different from actresses of the same age such as Anita Mui and Maggie Cheung, and she has never been really close to the audience: the image she shows is too ambitious and too "strong".
In Ang Lee's autobiographical book "A Movie Dream in Ten Years", there is this description of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon":
"I've watched actors for years, and I know what they do, true and false. I know that she is crying not only about Yu Xiulian's grievances, but about how much bitterness she has! The bitterness of my own filming was also stirred during the shooting, and tears were shed behind the camera. Because of the moving scene I dreamed of, I tossed it many times, and finally saw and photographed it, and I was very moved. There is also my bitterness in it, as if she helped me cry. I can understand Michelle Yeoh's feelings, her career and life have come to a certain extent. As an actress, when she can't help but show her true feelings and calmly expose herself in front of you, she is completely defenseless, and this complete trust is very valuable. ”
Li An tells the last moving scene of Yu Xiulian holding the dead Li Mubai in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon". The eyes are as vicious as him, and she can see the regret she feels for herself behind the actor's sincere emotions. It is precisely because of regret that this sadness can be injected into the character, complete her, sublimate her, and finally condense into an eternal character. Yu Xiulian's resolute and forgiving appearance is a projection of Michelle Yeoh's personality.
03.
From "flawless" to "beautiful without lack"
Despite acting in movies for 40 years and once being a famous kung fu actress, a closer look at Michelle Yeoh's acting career, most of the films she has starred in have not achieved high artistic achievements - as Ang Lee said, "I have been in film for many years, but I have not acted in any good dramas" - and correspondingly, she has not fulfilled her dream of being a professional actor.
In a thrilling and hilarious movie like "Police Story 3", it is glamorous and glamorous to go hand in hand with Jackie Chan. But the real protagonist is still Jackie Chan, although they are also fighting for life, and have successively contributed terrifying stunt scenes, and the one who won the award and is remembered is still Jackie Chan who hits the building with a helicopter.
The same is true in 007: Empire of Tomorrow. Becoming the 18th "Bond Girl", and Pierce Brosnan who played "007" on a motorcycle, Michelle Yeoh performed a tough new image that was different from the previous "Bond Girl" who was only responsible for sexiness, but in the end, it was only like the "icing on the cake" to inject the oriental fun of mysterious wisdom into "007", and it was still the real starring actor who benefited.
In Michelle Yeoh's acting career, most of the roles she has played have been supportive. The courage that goes hand in hand with the male protagonist does not mean that she gets the corresponding scene and character aura, but in turn assumes the function of another "vase" role - she is more like the mirror of the kung fu male star, reflecting and contrasting the wonderfulness of the protagonist.
Memoirs of a Geisha
From action movies to literary films, the audience gradually appreciates Michelle Yeoh's hidden energy. "Song Family Dynasty" plays the eldest Song Ailing as the "Three Sisters of the Song Family", she always maintains a smiling and calm face, which is very suitable for Song Ailing's wisdom. This role brought Michelle Yeoh a nomination for Best Supporting Actress at the Hong Kong Film Awards.
In "Memoirs of a Geisha", Michelle Yeoh plays Mamiha, a generation of Japanese geisha. She didn't say much, but she was full of experience. Just by her body shape and eyes, she can feel the weight of the character - but she does not easily expose her vulnerability, only shows her pride, and the price behind pride is swallowed herself.
"Aung San Suu Kyi" is a regrettable movie. Although Michelle Yeoh had the opportunity to play the lead role and contribute her sincere and moving acting skills, it is a pity that this film has no chance to be seen by more audiences due to the sensitive subject matter, and Michelle Yeoh misses her skills to show her delicate and strong side.
Cinema is the art of regret. Characters with flaws tend to resonate more easily with the audience. Michelle Yeoh has rarely had such opportunities to interpret such flawed and fragile characters in the past.
Ang Lee described Michelle Yeoh as "outer yang and inner yin", compared to Zhang Ziyi's "outer yang and inner yang". Many movies play the "yang" part of Michelle Yeoh's surface, but the director who understands her will stimulate her "feminine" side and dig out the artistic charm of the character.
Finally, in "Instantaneous Universe", Michelle Yeoh got a role that could combine all her strengths in one, a unique protagonist. Don't match others, don't bring out the wonderfulness of others, only tell your own story. She can travel through the multiverse of this character, suddenly she is the forgiving Oriental mother, then she is a kung fu star who gave up everything to gain fame, suddenly she is a Peking Opera celebrity who is accidentally injured in the eye but is supported by her father, and suddenly she is a female chef who is compared with vulgar skills by her cunning peers...
Evelyn has all kinds of regrets in her life choices and is an imperfect person, but true enough.
"Instantaneous Universe"
In the multiverse of "Evelyn/Xiulian", the multiverse of Michelle Yeoh is implied. She took off her Chinese robe, removed her hard armor, faced a strong father, a cowardly husband, a rebellious daughter, and finally stood by thousands of ordinary Chinese women - under the weight of life, they are sometimes unbearable, they are sometimes fragile, but they should have a more beautiful and better life.
The frank and straightforward shortcomings really made Michelle Yeoh. She finally stopped playing the heroine who can always win the enemy, the celebrity who can always maintain the arrogance and raised the corners of her mouth, the politician or the rich businessman who will never bow her head - she has the difficulties of ordinary people, and she begins to interpret the ordinary, trivial and complex of life.
04.
"Rebooting the universe" for more people
60 years old, Chinese, actress. The three labels are collected by Michelle Yeoh, and it can be said that this era of great change has brought her the luckiest and brightest moment of her career. Cate Blanchett, who also has insight into the actress's dilemma, has a deep resonance with the two because of this in her conversation with Michelle Yeoh. But Michelle Yeoh still frankly told the other party that she was jealous of her. The subtext is that because of her Asian identity, her chances are too few.
Compared to other minority groups, Asians are often regarded as "model minorities" because of their overall income level and higher level of education, and their ethnic identity is more likely to be seen as an advantage than a disadvantage. This subtle and invisible discrimination gives Asian minorities relatively few equal opportunities in many areas.
At a time when Hong Kong kung fu films have long been declining, thanks to the influence of past glory on the once young generation, there are two "Daniels" who are Kwan Jiayong and Daniel Schneider who insist on making "Instantaneous Universe". But this movie was originally created for Jackie Chan, because of Jackie Chan's refusal, the opportunity accidentally turned to Michelle Yeoh. The director and screenwriter discovered that Michelle Yeoh is actually more suitable for interpreting the choice of the multiverse than Jackie Chan.
Elderly Asian women don't have many choices in their lives. Generations of immigrants living in the United States have seen women around them become supermarket and laundry owners, wearing corny shirts and vests, burying their heads in bills, and gradually arching their bodies - Michelle Yeoh said, "I see Evelyn in many people around me, and I feel the need to tell their stories." ”
It is precisely because there is no choice, unlike mainstream groups such as men, whites, and young people who can have more opportunities and more rights to pursue the freedom and happiness they yearn for, "Evelyn/Xiulian" shuttles through the multiverse, re-chooses and sees that there are more possibilities in life, in order to move the minority groups who are tightly bound by concepts, traditions, and rules in real life, telling them that as long as they have a choice, they must choose boldly.
"Instantaneous Universe"
After rewatching "Instantaneous Universe", I can finally put aside the information-overloaded shots and extract from it what the characters want to say the most but can't. Whether the father, husband or daughter say, "You are really useless, you will stop doing anything halfway", for countless "Evelyn/Xiulian" in reality, it is the straw that really suppresses them. They could have pursued their dreams of becoming a kung fu star, a Peking Opera celebrity, and a powerful female chef, but in the end they were trapped by the premise that people around them said "you are useless anyway", and they had to contribute their only possible achievements in loyalty to their families and control of the next generation.
Michelle Yeoh's haggard, old but most moving moment in the film is every time she recalls those moments she can choose. Memory is like a game that can be restarted, turning on a switch in her head to re-choose the path. Every time she dares to make a strange move, she believes that "I can do it like them" - this powerful sense of belief leads her to the end, from being a loner to becoming a hero, bursting with powerful energy.
The expectation that Michelle Yeoh will win the Oscar for Best Actress also represents to some extent the hope that minorities – albeit "minorities", but also so many unknown people in society with dreams – will one day be rewarded for perseverance. They experience structural injustice, face limited fairness and opportunity, but if an Asian actress who has persevered for 40 years can stand on the Hollywood podium, then more unknown people who are still persevering may also be able to continue to inject energy into their destiny choices through their own efforts.
Although many people still believe that Michelle Yeoh's glory with "Instantaneous Universe" this time, there is still an element of luck, whether it is the coincidence and coincidence of this character, or a certain demand for political correctness at the moment, which makes "Instantaneous Universe" unique at this moment.
But as 60-year-old Michelle Yeoh said: wait until the role of "Instantaneous Universe" to rehearse for this moment like the previous 40 years. At an age when she was stereotyped to be on the verge of "withering", she once again told the world with perseverance and perseverance that some things are worth pursuing and persevering in a lifetime.
Written by: Mumudancing
Editors: Cat Ye, Brie, Juice
Executive Producer: Master Mao
Head: Screenshot of the 95th Academy Awards